Through the King's Eyes
by your-epic-nerd
Summary: This is a one shot I wrote that shows a scene of The Girl in the Fireplace through King Louis XIV's eyes.  All dialogue except the king and the minor characters is from the show.    Disclaimer - do not read if you have not seen this episode


**From the television show **_**Doctor Who**_**, Season 2, Episode 4, "The Girl In the Fireplace".**

**Summary of scene – The setting is 18th century Versailles, in a ballroom. Mechanical beings have overrun the royal court and have driven everyone to hysterics. The beings have taken both King Louis XVI and Reinette, his mistress who is better known as Madame De Pompadour, simply saying that she is grown and that they must be closer to the portal. This is written from the point of view of King Louis XIV, who in the episode only has two lines, as he witnesses the scene. Note, all dialogue that is not the Kings is taken directly from the episode.**

My people are screaming, running about like mad as the masked figures with knives as arms and clockwork bodies chase them to corners. These being hold me, one on each side as my darling Reinette tries to maintain order.

"Could everyone just calm down!" she calls, her voice filling the grand ballroom. "Please! Such a commotion, such a distressing noise. Kindly remember that this is Versailles. This is the royal court. And we are French."

She gives off an air of strength and regality as she speaks, her words echoing off the cavernous ceiling. What must my people thing of me. This woman, my mistress, is able to control my own court better than I can. I am a coward while she is a queenly being.

She turns to face one of the beings; it steps forward, tilting its head, as if examining a work of art. Reinette speaks to it, calmly, although I can hear the slightest of quivers in her voice.

"I have made a decision." She says, her eyes gazing upon the cold, metal creature with ice and fury. "And my decision is no, I shall not be going with you today. I have seen your world and I have no desire to step foot there again."

How has my lovely Reinette seen such a cold, fearful place as where I imagine these creatures come from? They are nothing from this earth, I am aware of that. How could my angel have seen where these clockwork demons have come from?

I shiver as the clockwork man talks, his voice monotone and… alien. "We do not require your feet."

Reinette glances at me in fear, briefly, as the clockwork creatures push her to her knees, holding their knife-like arms out in the kill position. Why am I such a coward? Why can't I be heroic save my brave girl from these monsters that could only live in nightmares? She must be brave for she stares straight at the creature that seems to be the leader as he advances. The ticking of these clockwork creatures overpowers the room as she speaks directly to it.

"You think I fear you. But I do not fear you, even now. You are merely the nightmare of my childhood. The monster from under my bed. And if my nightmare can return to plague me, then rest assured, so will yours."

The room is silent… apart from a horse whinnying…

A horse whinnying inside the palace.

A horse whinnying inside the palace with hoof beats on my floors.

Why the bloody hell is there a horse in my palace!

My court and the bloody clockwork creatures look around, as if their eyes will tell them where the sound of the wretched animal is. Another whinny, coming from above us, before MY favorite horse and a mad man in the strangest clothing I have ever seen burst through a mirror place on the upper part of the tall wall.

My court screams and ducks for cover as the now shattered glass of the looking mirror rains down upon us, and I must admit, since I am such a coward, I let out a slight scream of my own, although mainly I watch in awe as he trots around the room on my horse. As he passes my Reinette he winks at her.

This madman from the sky is riding my horse and winks at my woman!

To put this politely, I am infuriated with this man.

My horse heroically rears, whinnying again, and the man jumps out of the saddle as both my court and the clockwork demons back up, terrified of this strange man.

He looks straight at Reinette and says "Madame de Pompadour. You look younger every day."

She beams at him and I decide, amidst the carnage of my palace, my ruined court, these clockwork demons, and my love making googley eyes at this man, that it is my turn to speak.

"What the hell is going on!" I cry out, angered.

Reinette looks shocked for a moment, and then tells this man, as if he doesn't have the foggiest idea of who I am, "Oh… this is my lover… The King of France…"

The lunatic man from the mirror turned to me and said with a bit of edge to his voice, "Oh? Well I'm the Lord of Time." And walks past me without a second glance, leaving me flabbergasted and peeved as he walks to my Reinette. "And I'm here to fix the clock." He peels the head off one of the masked demons, revealing a clear head with clockwork innards and my court gasps, extremely nervous.

The clockwork being raises his knife and I pray to God that it will kill this man, who dares to be so forward and court my mistress. But alas, he scoffs, "Forget it, it's over… for you and for me."

He glances up at the mirror he burst through just seconds ago, and I follow his gaze, noticing that there is no longer a gaping hole in my palace, but an unsightly brick wall. Lovely. Now instead of needing to hire staff to repair a hole I only must hire them to wallpaper my wall. And since this man has no way of escape I can have him put to death for treason against the crown.

He murmurs something that I cannot hear, although I can make out the words "…bad luck…"

The automaton also follows his gaze to my ruined wall before returning it's gaze to the man. I'm not certain, since it doesn't have facial expressions, but something in the way it holds itself changes. As if it is going from a confident being, certain of what it held, to a dejected creature, unconfident and cowardly. As if it were I.

"You don't have the parts." The man whispers to the being. "How many ticks left in that clockwork heart? Huh? A day? And hour? It's over." The whirs and clicks of clockwork are starting to slow. "Accept that." The man says, his voice so quiet I must strain my ears to listen. "I'm not winding you up."

Very slowly the whirs stop. The head creature slowly lowers his head and his arms, as if sleeping while standing. And then all the clockwork demons stop, frozen in place. One topples over, it's head popping off and springs and gears spilling out onto the floor.

My court regains composure as this strange man takes Reinette's hand, the two of them slipping from the ballroom. I consider sending a guard after them; I consider condemning this man. But who am I to condemn the man who may have just saved my kingdom? Who am I, a coward who is not brave or heroic or strong, to deny the bonds that connect my dear Reinette and this strange man.

I let them slip into the shadows of my palace as I brush my waistcoat off.

"Madame's et Monsieur's, we shall adjourn for supper." My voice booms, acting as though nothing has happened.

As my subjects file out of the room a member of the serving staff slinks up to me.

"Mon Roi, what should me do with this?"

"Get it all cleaned up before tomorrow." I hiss, "Or you'll end up looking like that." I point to the decapitated clockwork creature.

"And Madame De Pompadour? What about her?"

I hesitiate for a moment before I respond. "Leave her be."

I storm out of the room but abruptly turn back around.

"And get my bloody horse out of the palace and into the stables!"


End file.
